Scars
by Polkadotunicorn
Summary: the world has descended into complete chaos.
1. Chapter 1

Trees hung above him in white clumps. It was a cold day in Moscow, Russia. Huge mountains of snow lined the street and covered rooves. Ivan Braginski was sat on a bench, watching the ruined world go by, Children playing in the snow. The fact there were still children, young souls that could become anything, that still had free minds, young souls that could find us a way out of this.

Planet earth was in ruins. People killing one another, eating each other, creating a world that everyone wanted gone. Basic supply was low, and fires, earthquakes and many other Disasters had claimed a large proportion of land in every country. Some said that Japan had already crumbled completely. Russia, for the most part, stayed safe. It had no cannibals, but violent clans would come and beat you for everything you had, and unless you were intimidating enough, or had the right fighting skills, they'd either kill you, or beat you up so bad you'd wish you were dead. Seeing a familiar face in amongst all this, was a miracle. The eastern side of Russia, and most of the world, were covered in bunkers, refugee camps of a sort. Ivan never went to one, instead he colonized Moscow, and St Petersburg, building a wall around the two cities, joining them, and combing supplies. Everybody respected him, as he kept them safe. His wall protected them from the rest of the broken nation, calm in the chaos.

But, everything good will come to an end, as Ivan was about to find out.


	2. Chapter 2

_Luna is a character that i had thought of. she is Ukraine's daughter._

The Sanctuary didn't fall immediately, it crumbled ever so slightly until there was nothing more than broken buildings, and rammed-in fences scattered everywhere. Fire got it first, then ash, then huge Jeeps full of clan members rammed the gates, and it was all over. An estimated 34 of the total 898 inhabitants of the village got away alive, and with the last safe town destroyed, Russia began a downward spiral into complete chaos. Nobody was safe. The majority had completely burned out, and Ivan was forced into a rundown bunker in Poland. The bunker was cold, dirty, and riddled with rats, but it was a safe, untraceable place to live. This bunker was obviously meant for somebody with a lot smaller build, as his legs were sticking uncomfortably out of the scratchy bed when he slept. The bed was thin, and itchy, and the metal poked through the tiny mattress, but it was something. One night, as he was about to sleep, Ivan spotted three small objects, in leather cases, on top of the large wooden crate. He cautiously approached it, and picked one up. He shook the case, and something he'd never expect fell out. A pistol. A silver pistol with three out of six bullets in the barrel. Ivan ran his hand over it, then slammed it on his wrist to make sure it was real. It was. He had a crowbar against his wall, he found it from a dead man, shortly outside his front door, he looked to the crate, and back at the crowbar. The Russian man took it in his hands, and jammed one end into the huge crate, and opened it. Full of cans, and bottles of clean water. There was another crate inside, he opened it. Full of shiny, elongated spheres. Bullets. He had a gun, food and water, and bullets. Ivan was taught how to shoot from a young age, and never forgot that short time he had with his father. His luck was beginning to change. He packed his new belongings together in the rough grey canvas bag, (the gun, a few extra bullets, 4 cans of food, and two bottles of water) and kept it under his thin pillow. He attempted to sleep, only to toss and turn, and to be awoken by gunshots and desperate cries. Eventually, he got some sleep.

Sunlight peeked in through the small window, sending beams around the cramped, tiny grey bunker. Ivan's eyes fluttered open, and he got out of the uncomfortable bed. A glance out of the window showed a new level of sadness. A dead family. Two children, with knives in their throats. Poland was meant to be safe, not so savage. But street murders were old news, happening pretty much every week. The reasons were always unclear, maybe for their supplies, or just sheer insanity. Their bodies were thrown aside, not given a proper burial. Ivan couldn't get too sentimental, so he ignored them, and got ready to go out. His scarf hung on the door, gone from white to a dull grey from the smoke and ash. Ivan wore it as not only got cold, but he used it as a mask when he went into high-polluted areas. He was lucky to have such a good coat. It was thick, strong, and had multiple pockets. He also had a pair of leather gloves, they came in very handy. He put all of them on, took his bag, and he stepped outside.

After securing the numerous boards, chains and padlocks on his door, Ivan covered his face with his scarf, and set off to the makeshift market in the so-called village. Apon arrival, Ivan was greeted by people pulling at him, begging him to buy their limited stock. The reason that he went there, it was the same as every day. To try and find a familiar face, as they were all moved here. His efforts had been fruitless so far, but his hope hadn't faltered. He'd go there every day if he had to. Just the chances of seeing them, no matter how small, were chances worth taking. He pushed his way through the crowd and over to the hut by the dock. "Ivan?" a voice said, and he turned around. He had heard that voice before, "Ivan! Look at me!" he did as the voice said.

Never had Ivan been so happy. He felt his eyes prickle with tears as he stared at the young girl before him. She had light blonde hair just like him, and her eyes glistened with a deep blue. She had such a sweet, innocent smile that he missed seeing. He covered his mouth, and closed his eyes. He thought his mind was playing up again, and was sure she wasn't real. He opened his eyes again, and she was still there. He ran to her, and held the small girl in his arms. "L-Luna… You're… You're…. you're okay… you're alive... tell me I'm not dreaming da?" He whispered softly to his niece. Ivan struggled to stop crying. He put his hands on her shoulders, and looked her in the eyes. She shone him a bright smile, "of course you're not dreaming Uncle Ivan! I'm here. Don't worry." She said, while hugging him. Her face was dirty with coal smudges, and her fingers cut and calloused, her clothes were thin and ripping at the seams, much like her body. Ivan knew exactly what had happened to her. She had been forced to do child labour in a factory. Anger welled up inside him at that thought, but he ignored it, and gave her a wide, loving smile through his tears. He held her tight, and wouldn't let go. Luna broke the embrace to ask him something. "have you seen my mama? We got separated and I was wondering if you had seen her..." she asked worriedly, "we'll find her soon though won't we?" a beaming, hopeful smile spread on her face. Ivan got her a makeshift mask of a bandana, and took her through the ash-filled, busy market, back to the Bunker.

"I'm sorry its not much…. But it's something…" Ivan began, but Luna interrupted him, "This is really nice uncle Ivan! Well, for what's happened it is. Mama gave me something…. It was a blanket, and a letter to give you when I saw you!" she dug around in her little bag, and handed Ivan a letter. It read,

 _My Dear Brother,_

 _Well, this sure has gotten crazy hasn't it? I don't know about you, but I'm safe in Ukraine, but Eduard has been separated from us. I met with Denmark a few months ago, he seemed fine. I don't know where Natasha is, but I heard that its terrifying in Belarus. How is it in Russia? Apparently you built a wall around St Petersburg and Moscow, and kept everyone inside safe. That took guts Braht, well done. Luna is fine, she's been wanting to see you. I hope you are safe. I hope Natasha is safe. I hope that Yao is safe_

 _All my love,_

 _Katyusha._

Ivan's hands trembled as he read this. His sister was safe. Her boyfriend may have left her but she's safe and out there somewhere. He threw his arms around Luna. "Thank you." He said to her, playing with her hair. His family was ok. Thank god. Well, except for one. His father had been the first victim of the virus spreading around Europe. The virus had claimed over 150,000 lives, spreading from Europe to North Asia. The only person he worried about more than anything was Yao. He had met Yao around 6 or 7 years ago, and they'd been together, and there for each other ever since. They were soulmates. Yao always looked after Ivan when his mind messed up, he always overpowered the voices, and broke the hallucinations. Yao always was there when everyone else was scared of him. He was there to love Ivan when he was alone. There was no world for Ivan if Yao wasn't part of it. He would not give up finding him, but the thought of him dying had never come to mind. He wanted to ignore it.

Luna looked up at her uncle. His violet eyes were showing a mix of happiness and hopelessness. She wanted to make him feel better, so she pulled his coat to grab his attention. He looked down and saw her making a funny face, he laughed a little and hugged her. Luna smiled, and dug around in her small black shoulder bag for something. She pulled out her blanket, a small piece of paper, and a book. The book was small with a faded pink cover, and the picture was peeling off, but Ivan immediately recognised what it was. It was his older sister's book of fairy tales that she had gotten for her birthday years ago. He picked it up gently, and traced his fingers over the cover. He looked at Luna, and back at the book. "You… want me to read this to you?" he asked her quietly, his voice full of reminiscence. Luna looked at him, and nodded softly, "if that's ok… could you read me the one about the lost princess?" she said with a yawn, and rubbed her eyes. She jumped under the blanket, and shifted over to one side. She looked at Ivan with a tired gaze, and he nodded. He smiled at her, and began reading. This story brought back so many memories of his sisters, Ivan hoped that they were ok, and managing well. He'd give anything to see them. Luna's eyes fluttered as the story was nearing its end, and she yawned. Ivan put the book down, and got into the other side of the bed. He couldn't sleep for a while, but having somebody else there was comforting, and he managed to drift off. His dreams were filled with reunions with his family, and when all this ended. It didn't end, of course.


	3. Chapter 4

Ivan trudged through the small collection of snow with Luna at his side, bundled in a coat and scarf. He'd given her a knife to defend herself, and taught her how to fight. They were trying to find more supplies, and they'd gone in the direction of an old farm. Branches and roots stuck out scarily like something from a horror movie, paving their path with fear. Luna looked up at her uncle, and flicked her long hair over her face, "Ivan, I'm really cold… and this is scaring me…" she motioned to a tree in the distance. Ivan didn't want to admit it, but he hated having Luna with her, but she was the only family he knew was okay. He had to find his sisters, no matter what. He was focused on that and his niece at this point. "we'll get out of the snow soon my angel." He said monotonously in an attempt to get Luna to stop badgering. He looked at the muddy ground and saw a familiar bow, one he'd seen many times. He couldn't be sure if it was the same one, but he was willing to take that chance. He stopped and picked it up. The metal clip had some strands of long blonde hair tangled in it. Flipping the bow gently to the blue side, he saw a small blood splatter, nothing he wasn't used to, but as this may be concerning his little sister, his heart began to race. Ivan replaced the pistol in his pocket with his sister's bow and held it out, making sure he had bullets loaded. Luna hid sheepishly behind Ivan, clutching the handle of the knife.

They soon reached the barn, and the only door was a metal sheet with droplets of water and blood dripping down it. Ivan threw it aside with one hand and kept his gun in the air with the other. He was greeted by three men he had met multiple times before, although they looked incredibly different. "Ivan Braginski? holy shit this is perfect timing!" the American yelled while pulling his mask off. The very scene of it made Ivan sick to his stomach. A girl was strapped to a homemade torture chair. There were lit blowtorches to her feet and electrical wires to her hands. Spikes on the chair impaled her arms and sent long rivers of blood down her body. The girl was evidently unconscious. The two other men turned off the blowtorches while Alfred was poking his victim with a metal pole. "wake up princess, we've got someone here for you." She groaned and slowly opened her eyes. Brushing the long silvery-blonde hair out of her face, she looked up to see her brother and niece.


End file.
